February 27 at New Hampshire (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's basketball team closes out the regular season on Tuesday, February 27 at America East foe New Hampshire.
TOURNAMENT TIME
With the win against Maine on Feb. 21, the River Hawks officially clinched a berth into their first ever America East Championship in their first year of post-season eligibility. The squad will be seeded eighth and play the No. 2 seed, which will be the winner of Tuesday's Hartford/UMBC matchup, in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 3.
THANK YOU SENIORS
Matt Harris and
Jahad Thomas, who have both already etched their name in the UMass Lowell record book, were honored in a special pre-game ceremony on Feb. 21. Harris not only owns the program's Division I record for three-pointers made, but is also ranked third on the school's all-time record list with 229. Also a consistent scorer from the foul line, the guard sits second in school history with an 87 percent clip on free throws. Thomas totals the seventh most points in school history with 1,806 and is fourth all-time with 841 rebounds. The guard/forward owns nine Division I program records, in addition to sitting on the school's All-Time Top 10 lists for seven categories, ranking as high as third with a 55.4 field goal percentage.
A WIN WOULD
A win on Tuesday would split this season's home-and-home series against New Hampshire, 1-1. It would also give the squad its first win against the Wildcats since 2014 and just its second all-time. A victory would improve the squad's overall record to 12-17, matching the program record for single-season, Division I wins.     Â
LAST TIME OUT
Redshirt-senior
Jahad Thomas recorded a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in a hard-fought, 83-75 loss for UMass Lowell at UMBC on Feb. 24. Thomas' performance marked his ninth double-double of the year and his sixth consecutive contest with 20+ points. Sophomore
Rinardo Perry chipped in with 19 points, while redshirt-junior
Josh Gantz rounded out the River Hawks' double-digit scorers with 11 points. Following seven tied scores, UMass Lowell held onto at least a one-point buffer for six minutes late in the second half, but UMBC would use 13 straight points to jump in front, 77-68, at 3:34 and keep the lead for good.
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LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 27 games,
Jahad Thomas is pacing the River Hawks with 20.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. He also boasts team-best marks for assists (99) and steals (44).
Matt Harris (12.5) and
Ryan Jones (10.9) round out the team's scorers in double-digits.
Josh Gantz, who is shooting 49 percent (90-184) from the field, is first with 31 blocks. As a team, the River Hawks are shooting 45.9 percent (734-1599) from the field, 34.2 percent (199-582) from long range and 70.0 percent (450-643) from the foul line.
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats sit at 10-19 overall in 2017-18 with a 6-9 mark in America East play. UNH is in the midst of a four-game skid after falling to Stony Brook, 72-63, and Hartford, 65-56, last week. Tanner Leissner is the lone Wildcat averaging in double-digits with 18.7 points per game. Iba Camara adds 9.6 points per game with a team-best 10.8 rebounds per game, while Jordan Elijah is first on the team with 82 assists. As a unit, UNH is shooting 40.2 percent (674-1675) from the floor, 32.8 percent (237-723) from three-point range) and 74.3 percent (381-513) from the line.
DID YOU KNOW...
The River Hawks are 10-6 this season when
Matt Harris scores 11 points or more, but only 1-11 when he scores 10 points or less.
STAYING IN THE GAME
Even in games that have not fallen their way, the River Hawks have made it interesting. Seven of the River Hawks' losses this year have included at least five lead changes and three have had at least 11. Additionally, the squad is an even 7-7 in games decided by 10 points or less.  Â
A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
Now in their first year of full DI eligibility, the River Hawks look back on a successful four-year transition period. Of the most recent 15 men's basketball programs to make the move to Division I, the squad finished second in APR (967). Additionally, UMass Lowell ranked fifth out of the most recent 25 transitioning schools in wins (40) during its four-year reclassification. Â
OFFENSIVE STATE OF MIND
The River Hawks continue to boast a powerful offense, as they are first in the conference right now with an average of 75.6 points per game and third with a 45.9 field goal percentage.
DOUBLING UP
Jahad Thomas logged double-digit points and rebounds in three consecutive outings from Jan. 27-Feb. 8, marking the second time in his career with three double-doubles in a row. He totals a personal-best nine double-doubles this season with 24 in his career.
RAISING THE BAR
Just when you think there is nothing left for
Jahad Thomas to accomplish, he raises his own bar even higher. He surpassed 800 career rebounds at Vermont on Feb. 11, becoming just the sixth UMass Lowell player to ever do so. He is also ranked 26th in the nation among active career rebound leaders. He is currently owns the second longest active streak in the country with six straight 20+ point performances, as well.
GAINS FOR GANTZ
Josh Gantz has come on strong as of late. After averaging 5.5 points per game through the first eight games of the year, he has averaged 9.7 in the last 20, including a career-high 19 points at Hartford on Jan. 10 and at Binghamton on Jan. 21. Additionally, 56 of his 66 assists, and 25 of his 29 threes this year have come in the most recent 20 outings. His field goal percentage has also improved from 42 percent (17-41) to 51 percent (73-143).
SWEET (AND SOUR) SPOT
The River Hawks are ranked third in the conference for free throws made (450) and fourth for free throw percentage (70.0) through 28 games. Individually,
Matt Harris is second in the league with an 86.2 percent clip (75-87) from the line, while Harris (vs. BU, 12.13) and
Obadiah Noel (at Wagner, 12.5) have each drained a season-high 11 free throws in a single game. Although the team hit a mid-season rough patch, shooting just 61.9 percent at the line in the 10 games between Dec. 23 and Jan. 27, they have made the most of opportunities lately, with a 73.0 percent clip in the last seven outings.
HELPING HANDS
One key to the River Hawks' balanced scoring has always been their ability to share the basketball, as witnessed by the team's season-high 20 helpers dished out against CCSU on Dec. 23 and against Hartford on Jan. 27. The squad is second in the America East rankings with 14.4 assists per game.
A BUMPY ROAD
The River Hawks, who play 13 games away from friendly confines in 2017-18, have struggled on the road as of late with a 2-10 mark on the road this season. As a program, UMass Lowell has accumulated a 92-128 road record since 2003-04.
BLOCK PARTY
Josh Gantz has registered his most career blocks this season with 31 so far. He is currently third in the league with an average of 1.1 per game.
UNDER CONTROL
With 13.7 turnovers per game, the River Hawks have been doing their best to take care of the ball this season. The team is second in the league with a +1.43 turnover margin.
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